It’s Peanut Chicken Lettuce Wraps Day!
Which is obviously my best kind of day. Even if it is a Monday which, in my previous life as a teacher, would have been a holiday, which, in my current life as a blogger, I now don’t have as a holiday because I have the world’s strictest boss ( –> myself).
My boss is actually so strict that she requires me to eat a minimum five lettuce wraps for lunch every day. I KNOW. It is seriously rough around here sometimes.
I probably don’t even need to tell you that these lettuce wraps are totally my jam right now. From the savory chicken, peanut, and rice noodle filling to the crunchy, beautiful peanut and cilantro toppings to the just-barely tangy sauce that goes over the top, and right straight into the fresh, delicate lettuce leaves that will then transport the overflowing boat of deliciousness into your mouth…
OHMYGOSH. It’s all just really, really good.
These lettuce wraps are a little different, though, because HI RICE NOODLES.
That’s right – I just added rice noodles to my lettuce wraps. Whatcha gonna do about it?
It all started because I was bringing these over to a friend’s house for an appetizer dinner (by the way – when was the last time you had an appetizer dinner? it’s the best thing ever and you need to make it happen. asap.) and I realized before I even got there that I was going to be sad after I ate these lettuce wraps as an appetizer.
Because I have this thing: I am consistently plagued by the I’m-Still-Hungry dilemma anytime I eat lettuce wraps. Ugh. Like, I get two bites of filling and then somehow they’re gone and I still need more food. Wh-hy-hy-hyyy? Black magic, I tell you.
Being firm in my convictions about food, I cannot morally support any kind of skimpy, un-filling lettuce wraps any longer. So naturally, I made lettuce wraps that are appropriately sized for small giants. Filled with chicken, peanuts, and rice noodles (my favorite!) and meant to be eaten as a MEAL. None of this two bite business, my friends. No thank you.
Go lettuce-wrap-big or go home.
Please hear me when I say that these are as simple as they are delicious. I mean like 20-minute simple. It’s totally a Monday and WE CAN TOTALLY DO THIS.
Step one: Sauce. The best things in life always start with sauce.
Step two: Marinate chicken and peanuts. For, like, .37 seconds because we have hangry people in the house.
Step three: Brown the chicken and peanuts and rice noodles. There they are, those sneaky rice noodles.
Step four: Wrap, sprinkle, drizzle sauce, and DEVOUR IN BLISS.
May these Peanut Chicken Lettuce Wraps for The Hungry Girl bring you much joy, friends.
Peanut Chicken Lettuce Wraps with Ginger Garlic Sauce
Total Time: 25 minutes
Yield: 4 servings (3 lettuce wraps each) 1x
Description
Peanut Chicken Lettuce Wraps with a Ginger Garlic sauce – made from scratch with chicken, peanuts, rice noodles, and extra sauce for serving!
Ingredients
Scale
For the Sauce
- 4 tablespoons soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 3 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon sambal oelek (chili paste)
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger (I use a paste)
- juice of 2 limes
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 green onions, minced
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar (optional – makes it more tangy)
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch (optional – helps the sauce thicken)
For the Lettuce Wraps
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 1 lb. ground chicken or turkey
- 1/2 cup lightly salted peanuts, chopped
- 6 ounces rice noodles
- 12 leaves of lettuce (I used Boston lettuce)
- chopped cilantro, green onions, and peanuts for topping
Instructions
- Whisk all the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl. Pour about 3/4 of the sauce into a bowl with the ground chicken and peanuts. Stir to combine – marinate for 15 minutes.
- Soak the rice noodles in a large bowl of water while the meat is marinating. When the noodles are softened, drain and rinse with cold water. Cut into small pieces.
- In a large skillet, heat the sesame oil over medium heat. Add the meat and peanut mixture and sauté for 10 minutes or until cooked through. Add the noodles and stir-fry for another 5 minutes or until soft, adding a splash of water, oil, soy sauce, oyster sauce, or lime juice to moisten the pan as you see fit.
- Remove from heat, scoop mixture into lettuce leaves, top with cilantro, green onions, peanuts, and the reserved sauce.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Category: Dinner
- Cuisine: Asian-Inspired
Keywords: chicken lettuce wraps, peanut chicken lettuce wraps, garlic ginger sauce
